Loose-leaf binder.



No- 867,52 6. PATENTED OCT. 1, 1907.

' A! OPALLA.

LOOSE LEAP BINDER. APPLIGATION rmm 11121, 1806. nmmwnn mu. 2, 1907.

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' PATENTED OCT. 1, 1907.

A.OPALLA. oos LEAF BINDER. APPLICATION FILED'IBB. 21, 1906. RENEWED MAR. 3, 1907.

2 SHBETS-SHEET 2.

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UNITE sTATns ARTHUR OPALLA, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

LOOSE-LEAF BINDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 1, 1907.

Application filed February 21, 1906I Serial No. 302,264. Renewed March 2, 1907. Serial No. 360,225.

To all whom it may concerns Be it known that I, ARTHUR OPALLA, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Loose-Leaf Binders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for the binding together in book form and in less or greater numbers, as may be expedient, desired, or demanded by exigencies, of so-called loose leaves for all purposes, such as ledgers, accounts, invoices, albums, dockets, and other objects; in other words it relates to an extensible and contractible holder or binder for such loose leaves, which permits of their insertion and removal as desired without disturbance of the relations of other leaves, and which can be expanded and contracted according to the varying volume of its contents so as always to hold firmly these contents in its grasp. Its object is to simplify the construction of such holders or binders and the mechanism by which they are spread or drawn in, and it consists, generally speaking, in the combination of a central back-plate representing about the minimum thickness of the book, exclusive of covers, a rotatable shaft mounted in bearings on said back-plate, extending medianly therealong from end to end thereof, and having a right-hand screw-thread for about half of its length and a left-hand screw-thread for the other half, toggles operated by said screw-threads,right-angled cover-plates operated by said toggles to 'move outward or inward from or toward the back-plate when the toggles are opened or closed, and intermediate plates engaged by and pulled out from or shut in over the back-plate by the movements of the cover plates.

It consists further in a novel form of telescoping holding post for retaining the leaves when inserted, designed to be of practically the same diameter throughout, that is the outer surface of the sections to move in the same cylindric perimeter, obviating the variance in diameter and the obstructive edges exposed when tubes are telescoped together In the drawings: Figure 1 is an inner face view, in elevation, of the binder showing the parts expanded to their maximum; Fig. 2, a like view but showing the binder contracted to the minimum, practically coincident with the transverse diameter of the back-plate; Fig. 3, a top plan view, partly broken away to expose inside parts, of the'binder; Fig. 4, a detail, in section on the correspondingly numbered line of Fig. 1, showing the back-plate and sliding plates of the binder; Fig. 5, a detail in inside elevation, representing the sliding plates fully closed into the back-plate to the minimum diameter of the binder; Fig. 6, a detail, also in inside elevation, representing said sliding plates opened out from the back-plate to the maximum diameter of the binder; Fig. 7, an elevation, enlarged, of the improved telescoppositions of the bars of the two end members and of those of the two central sections or members; Fig. 15, a perspective view of one of the bars of the central sec tions, showing the dovetailed locking slideway; Fig. 16, detail of telescoping tubes proposed to form a sort of central core for the sections of the binding post; Fig. 17, a side elevation of one of the bars of a central postsection, showing how the mouth of the dovetailed slideway is closed by a rivet to prevent escape of an interlocked bar of another section; Fig. 18, an outside el evation of two bars of different sections interlocked, and Fig. 19, a cross section therethrough; and Figs. 20 to 23, details of construction of the binder proper.

Referring now to Figs. 1 to 6 and Figs. 20 to 23 of said drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the back of the binder, composed of three parallel plates a, b and c, and end plates d at right angles thereto. At the ends of the plate a are right angled flanges 2 riveted to plates (1. The plate b is spaced a certain distance from plate a and is conveniently secured to and supported by end plates 0. by means of tongues 3 at its ends fitting into notches 4 in said end-plates, while the plate 0 has out turned flanges 5 riveted to the end plates, thus, in connection with the flanges of plate a, securing said end plates rigidly. This plate 0 is spaced the same distance from plate b as the latter from plate a, the spaces being designated respectively by numerals 6 and 7, and serving for guides and receptacles for telescoping plates, as hereinafter explained. Inside of plate a and longitudinally thereof runs a central shaft 8 journaled midway of its length in a bearing 9 secured to said plate, while the left-hand end, as represented in the drawings, is

journaled in the inturned flange 2 of said plate and the end plate, and the right-hand end has bearing in the wall of a key-box 10 riveted to the respective flange 2 and to the corresponding end plate,and hasa squared head 11 reached by key 12 admitted through key-hole 13 in the end plate. This shaft 8 is cut with a righthand screw-thread from the left end nearly to the central hearing, as indicated at 14, and with a right-hand thread from adjacent to that bearing to the key-box bearing, as indicated at 15, upon which threads are mounted nuts 16 operating toggles 17 for expanding and contracting the binder according to the direction in which the shaft is rotated by the key.

Numerals 18 and 18 represent right angled cover plates the positionof which, for the purposes of this description, will be assumed to be such as shown in Fig. 1,

that is the horizontal webs 19 are the ones to which the cover-boards are hinged, and are connected by the telescoping binding posts 20, while the vertical webs 21 play, the upper into the space 6 between plates 0 and b of the back, and the lower into the space 7 between plates 1) and c of said back. Ears or lugs 22 are struck in from the horizontal webs of the cover plates near each end thereof and the outer ends of the toggles are pivoted thereto, while their inner ends are pivoted to the aforesaid nuts upon the oppositely running threads of the screw-shaft. If the cover plates should be extended to the full throw of the toggles, as in Fig. l, gaps would be opened between their vertical webs and the back of the binder were it not for intermediate extension plates 23 which are drawn out and closed in by engagement with the cover plates, but are restrained by stops from leaving the guide spaces of the back entirely. These extension plates are bent up and over the end edges of the vertical webs of the cover plates, as represented at 24 in Figs. 1, 3, G and 23, to form guides connecting with the guide spaces 6 and 7 of the back these guide spaces being of just enough depth to hold or admit, each, one vertical web with its extension plate and overlap. Each overlap 24 is cut away at 25 to leave narrow fingers 26 along its edges against the outer of which lugs 27 from the vertical webs of the cover plates strike when the latter are moved away from the back, drawing the extension plates out of the latter until the inner fingers come against lugs 28 from the upper plate a and middle plate I) of said back and are stopped against further outward movement, as represented in Figs. 1 and 6. In collapsing the binder to the position indicated in Figs. 2 and 5 the lugs 27 are moved away from the outer fingers and towards the inner fingers of the extension plates until the horizontal webs l9-strike the over-laps 24 and carry the plates along with them as they close into the spaces 6 and 7 of the back.

With a binder capable of such great expansion as the one just described it is evident that the ordinary rigid holding posts for loose leaves, secured to one of the coverplates and playing through the other and the fixed pad of the cover-board secured thereto, is totally impracticable. In fact its inconvenience even with binders capable of but slight expansion has long been recognized. Nor are posts made of telescoping tubes entirely satisfactory, as the tubes must be of successively decreasing diameter and the leaves, being uniformly punched, will not be held alike but will present an uneven or ragged appearance along the edges. These difficulties are overcome in the present invention by constructing the posts of interlocking sliding bars of truncate-sector outline in cross-section, so arranged and proportioned that when closed in they will form a cylinder, as in Fig. 8, of which the exposed bases of the bars present equal arcs, and when drawn out, will extend the cylinder in skeleton form, as in Fig. 7, wherein the exposed bases of the equi-spaced bars of each section represent the contacting surfaces of the posts for engagement with the usual round perforations of the loose leaves, always on the same radii.

The number of telescoping sections into which the posts are divided will be determined by the expansion capacity of the binder. For the purpose of this description four are represented in the drawing, each composed of six bars 29, though the number of bars or the length of their peripheral ares will depend upon the number of sections. The end sections have heads I 30, 30 to which the outer ends of the bars of said sections are rigidly attached, but the central sections are composed of bars alone. The bars of one section are slidingly interlocked with the bars of the next section, which may be done in various ways, but the best inanner now known to me is to form in the side of each bar a longitudinal dovetail slide-way 3f temporarily open at one end, while the opposite end and side is provided with a dovetail-key 32 to fit into the groove of a bar of the next section, the key being introduced through the open end of the groove or slide-way and its withdrawal then blocked by driving a pin 33 into a previously bored seat 34; which extends past the mouth of the slideway. In assembling the sections it is advisable to employ a mandrel against which the truncate faces of the bars may fit closely with their respective keys and slideways registering with the slidmvays and keys of the next section, and which will afford an anvil when the pins are driven home. The so-called truncate faces are not exactly plane but are described upon a short radius, as clearly shown in Fig. 9, and the mandrel, which need not be of greater length than one section, is described practically upon the same radius Referring to Figs. 11 to 14, and considering the bars of the central sections represented in 13 and 11 to be held in the fixed equi-distant relations shown in said latter figures by some imaginary force, it will be seen that, if the top section a is placed upon the mandrel first in the position indicated in Fig. 11, the second sectionf will have to be turned one twenty-fmlrth of a revolution, to the position indicated in Fig. t), in order to register the keys of its bars with the slide-ways of the first section; then the third section g, following, must also be turned another twenty-fourth of a revolution to register its keys with the slide-ways of the second section, that is to the position indicated in Fig. 14, and finally the bottom section It must be given a terminal one twentysfourth revolution to the position indicated in Fig. 12, to register its keys with the slideways of the third section. As a matter of fact, however, the bars of the central sections, when there are central sections, are fitted into place one by one, each successive bar passing one twenty-fourth of a circle beyond the position of the opposing if the bars in all aggregate twenty-four to the full post, as here. The head 30 of the upper section is an annular plate, preferably cast integral with its bars 29, its central opening 35 being at least large enough to admit or withdraw the mandrel and corresponding to the bore formed by the aggregated closed bars, as represented in Fig. 9, and, after the assembling and pinning of the section bars and withdrawal of the mandrel, it is to be closed by a plug 36 which affords means whereby the head may be secured to the upper cover-plate. However, although not absolutely essential, I propose to supplement the bars by an inclosed tubular telescoping core, to add to the stiffness, such as indicated in broken-detail in Fig. 16, in extended position in Fig. 7, and in cross-section, while closed, in Fig. 9, and therefore the central aperture 35 is made of somewhat greater diameter than the mandrel, or bore formed by the closed bars in Fig. 9, so as to leave the truncate edges of the bars sufficiently exposed to afford rests or supporting shoulders for the upper or largest tube 37, as indicated in Figs. 10 and 11. This upper tube is preferably cast and formed with an integral outsetting flange 37 at its top, which sits snugly into the opening 35 and rests upon the exposed shoulders of bars 29, and is secured to the head by brazing, or otherwise. The tube 37 having been fixed to head 30, the next tube in size, 38, is dropped in and in succession, tubes 39 and 40, theinturned foot of the latter being secured to the head 30 of the lower section by means of headed rivet 41 passing centrally through the boss 42 cast axially of said head for the purpose of securing it to the bottom cover-plate.

The upper end of the tube 37 is internally screwthreaded a short distance to receive a plug 36 by means of which the head 30 of the upper section e is secured to the upper cover-plate, and dust and dirt excluded from the tubes. But the flange on this upper tube may be dispensed with, the aperture through the head made the diameter of the bore, as shown in Fig. 9, and the upper end of the tube brazed directly to the edges of this aperture.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination of a back forming a telescope case, angular cover boards or plates, means for distending and contracting said plates relatively to the back, intermediate plates, and means telescopingly connecting said cover plates and the intermediate plates, whereby the coverplates act to close in or draw out the intermediate plates as they themselves are contracted or spread.

2. The combination of a back forming a telescope case, angular cover-boards or plates, means for distending and contracting said plates relatively to the back, intermediate plates formed with guides which receive a web of the cover-plates, and means telescopingly connecting said cover-plates and the intermediate plates, whereby the cover-plates are caused to open or close'in upon the intermediate plates as they are spread or contracted.

The combination of a back forming a telescope case, a shaft running centrally therealong and having right and left screw-threads, angular cover plates, nuts and toggles connecting said cover plates and shaft, and intermediate extension plates connecting the cover-plates with the back and serving as guides to the cover-plates and telescoped thereby.

4. The combination of a back having double telescope cases, a shaft running centrally therealong and having right and left screw-threads, angular cover-plates the brick web of one entering one of the telescope cases and the back web of the other entering the second, nuts and toggles connecting said cover-plates and shaft, and intermediate extension plates connecting the cover-plates with the back and telescopingly connected with each.

5. The combination of the back, the shaft running centrally therealong and having right and left screw-threads, the intermediate plates turned up and overlapped at the ends to serve as guides, the angular cover-plates, the nuts and toggles connecting the cover plates with the shaft, the

lugs upon the cover-plates, the stops upon the plates forming the back, and the fingers upon the overlaps of the intermediate plates.

6. The combination, to form telescoping posts for loose leaf binders, of sliding sector-bars and slide\vays and keys whereby said bars are interlocked to close together and form a cylinder and to draw out to extend said cylinder in skeleton form.

7. The combination, to form telescoping posts for loose leaf binders, of sliding sector-bars, slide-ways and keys whereby they are interlocked in such manner as to close together and form a cylinder or drawn out to extend said cylinder in skeleton form, and inclosed telescopic tubes moving \vitllsaid bars.

8. The combination, to form telescoping posts for loose leaf binders, or sliding sector-bars, dovetail slide-ways in one face of each sector-bar, opening at one end of the bar, dovetail keys on the opposite face of each bar, and pins closing the open ends of the slide-ways to stop the escape of the keys.

ARTHUR OPALLA.

Witnesses v CHAS. E. GORTON, JOSEPH G. PARKI/NSON. 

